Cebu Pacific can be reevaluated by EU

The Department of Transportation and Communications said that Cebu Pacific will have the opportunity to be reevaluated by the European Union (EU) within six months.

In a statement, Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya said that “Philippine Airlines [PAL] has been allowed to operate flights to EU again, while Cebu Pacific will have the opportunity to be reevaluated within six months.”

The EU announced last week the lifting of its ban on PAL.

In a statement, Abaya said that, “The European Commission [EC] has cleared the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which means that the EC may now rely on CAAP’s judgment regarding the safety standards being implemented by airlines used by EU citizens within the country.”

The country is also looking for a higher aviation safety rating from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before the end of the year. In 2008, the FAA downgraded the Philippines to Category 2 status for not complying with international aviation safety standards.

Category 2 prevents airlines from the Philippines from adding new routes to the United States.

The aviation industry has been hoping that the FAA would restore the country to Category 1 status, which would certify that it has fully complied with international air safety standards.